Los Angeles Valley College, Spring 2008 K.L. Ross, DrKelley@AOL.com
Philosophy 30, Asian Philosophy Office: Campus Center 224
MW 9:40-11:05 AM (1529), CC 205 Phone: (818) 947-2467
SYLLABUS
TEXTS:Asian Philosophies, by John M. Koller,
Patricia Joyce Koller, & Patricia J. Koller
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps & Nyogen Senzaki
A Sourcebook in Asian Philosophy, by John M. Koller,
Patricia Koller (suggested)
Handouts for this class, with some web links and extra graphics,
are on the World Wide Web at: http://www.friesian.com/valley/#30CONTENTS: A survey of the background, schools, and philosophers of
Classical Indian and Chinese philosophy and of Buddhist
thought in India, China, & Japan. "Asian Philosophy" does not
include philosophy in Islâm. The course might better be called
"South and East Asian Philosophy." The previous title of the
class, "Oriental Philosophies," suffered from a similar
ambiguity and is also now regarded as using an offensive term.
Unit 1: The historical and scriptural background of Indian philosophy
--the Arya and the caste system, Indian languages & the
pronunciation of Sanskrit words. The Vedas and Epics. The
philosophic schools of Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, and Vedânta.
Tentative midterm: March 19.
Unit 2: The historical background of Chinese philosophy, Chinese
history and historiography, Chinese languages and dialects,
and the pronunciation of Chinese words. Confucianism, Chinese
moral and political philosophy. Taoism, the Way of Not-Doing.
Tentative midterm: April 23.
Unit 3: The non-violent resistance of Mohandas (Mahâtmâ) Gandhi.
Buddhism, from the Buddha to Zen. Buddhist philosophic
schools. Final: 9:30 AM, Monday, June 2, CC 205.
ATTENDANCE: This is primarily a lecture class: tardiness and
absences thus will result in missing material that cannot be found in
the texts or in other sources. The texts are primary sources which
are not self-explanatory; and you will not find what I say in
encyclopaedia articles or in most other books. Believe me, you will
not do well in the class unless you are present for the lectures
or arrange to obtain lecture notes, and it is your responsibility
to arrange with others to obtain the materials for classes that you
miss. You may tape record lectures.
After the third week attendance is no longer taken for each class
meeting. However, attendance will be taken occasionally and randomly,
and students with more than a week of absences may be excluded for
non-attendance. Do not report absences to me. It is your own
responsibility to drop the class if you wish to do so (final drop date:
May 4th). Anyone on the roster at the end of the semester
who has not been present for the tests will receive an F. It is your
responsibility to obtain from other students any material or assignments
you miss when absent. If you miss any examinations, including the due
date for take home exams, and you return within the period when a makeup
is allowed, you must be prepared to take the test, or hand in any
materials, promptly at the beginning of the class on the day you return.
Holidays this semester are Presidents' Day, February 15 & 18; Spring
Break, March 24-28; Chavez Day, March 31; and Memorial Day, May 26.
The last day of classes is May 23.
Note well: Anyone who persistently disrupts my class by talking,
arriving late, repeatedly leaving & returning, or through any other
distracting or inconsiderate behavior may be instructed to leave the
class. If you do not want to be here, don't come in the first place.
OFFICE HOURS: My office hours are MW 7:30-8:00 & 11:10-11:45 AM,
TuWTh 6:30-6:45 PM, and by appointment in CC 224. The phone number is
(818) 947-2467. This is a direct line, and no one else will answer
the phone. You should call during office hours. If you call at
other times, you can leave messages on voicemail. You do not
need to report absences, or your reasons for them, by voicemail.
Do not leave messages for me to call you, without the times you can
be reached at your number. I will not return calls if all you want
is to be brought up to date for classes you have missed. Just return
to class. Any inquiries by e-mail can be answered within a
couple of days: DrKelley@AOL.comTESTS: There will be two midterm exams and a final. Make-up tests for
the midterms will only be given before the original tests are handed
back (usually after a week). If you miss the final and cannot take it
at another time I have scheduled, you cannot make it up during the
current semester and will be credited with an F unless you request an
Incomplete--which you may do simply by leaving a message for me before
I turn in the grades.
The exams will include multiple choice, short answer identifications,
and essay questions. The final will count half of your grade and will
be comprehensive (Midterm I + Midterm II = Final). Point values are
assigned to grades as follows: F=0, D=3, C=6, B=9, & A=12. Minuses
subtract one point, and pluses add one. A C+ is thus worth 7. The
midterm grades will be added together the grade of the final exam
multiplied by two for the course grade = [Midterm I + Midterm II +
2x(Final)]/4. Missed tests will count as F's unless made up. The
lowest midterm grade will be dropped if the grade is improved by the
substitution of the grade of the other midterm or of the final with thepenalty of one letter grade. For instance, an A+ (13) on the final
means that a Midterm grade lower than a B+ (10) is replaced with a B+.
If the course grade is as much as 10 (B+), without rounding, an A will
be awarded. If a 7 (C+), a B; a 4 (D+), a C; and a 1 (F+), a D.
In all tests in my classes, you are not expected to agree with me on
any issue; but you are expected to know what has been presented in the
course, both in the lectures and in the books, and to present reasons or
arguments for any views you wish to advocate. Outside materials or
opinions are welcome so long as they are not a substitute for awareness
or discussion of the materials of the course.
In this respect we may have a particular problem in this class, for it
is not difficult to find much of the material we will be dealing with
presented elsewhere in extremely devotionalistic, oversimplified, and
credulous fashion. Indian ideas especially are typically presented,
both by Indians and by others, as part of a single esoteric doctrine
upon which everyone in the know agrees (because its just The Truth).
As you will see, there is much disagreement between the various schools
in Indian philosophy. If you have had "authoritative" people tell you
things about Yoga or meditation or their metaphysical foundations, you
do not need to forget it, but you must be ready to contrast it with what
we will be looking at in this course. Authoritative assertions from a
guru will not be a substitute for historical awareness and
philosophical argument.
You are expected to do your own work, so do not prepare communal essays
with your study partners. I reserve the right to exclude or fail anyone
who turns in work that they have not done themselves, who plagiarizes,
or who cheats in any other way. I apologize in advance for the measures
it has become necessary to take to guard against cheating on
examinations. This is irritating and insulting for us all.